Branden Richter, 26, of Wausau was charged Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 with two counts of armed robbery in connection with two armed robberies last fall at Wausau area taverns.

Written by

Shereen Skola
Daily Herald Media

A trial for the Wausau man accused of orchestrating two tavern robberies that resulted in the theft of more than $4,000 last fall began today.

Branden Richter, 27, of Wausau is charged with two counts of armed robbery and faces 80 years in prison if convicted. Richter has been held in the Marathon County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond for more than a year; his trial is scheduled to resume Monday.

Mariano Valera, 26, of Wausau, told investigators that Richter planned the Oct. 3, 2011, armed robbery at Cliffhangers in Schofield and the ...